South Korean soccer club apologizes in ‘sex doll’ flap
A South Korean soccer club has apologized after being accused of putting sex dolls in empty seats during a match.
FC Seoul expressed “sincere remorse” over the controversy, but insisted in a statement that it used mannequins — not sex dolls — to mimic a home crowd during Sunday’s 1-0 victory over Gwangju FC at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.
Following a weeks-long delay because of the coronavirus pandemic, the K-League returned to action on May 8 without spectators.
With players competing in front of rows of empty seats, some soccer and baseball teams have been trying to create a festive and humorous atmosphere that involves filling stands with huge team banners, pictures of mask-wearing fans, or even vegetables.
FC Seoul said it was attempting to add “an element of fun” with the mannequins. The team said it was repeatedly reassured by Dalkom, the company that produced the mannequins, that they weren’t sexual products.
GOLF BACK IN BIG WAY
The return of live golf to television brought 2.35 million viewers across all platforms, which NBC Sports says was 16% higher than the final of the Dell Match Play last year.
The TaylorMade Driving Re- lief on Sunday from Seminole Golf Club was shown from 2 p.m. to just after 6:30 p.m. on NBC, Golf Channel, NBCSN, along with NBC Sports and PGA Tour streaming outlets.
Rory McIlroy won a closestto-the-pin playoff worth six skins valued at $1.1 million as he and Dustin Johnson defeated Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff. More than $5.5 million was raised for COVID-19 relief funds, with more donations being accepted through today.
THE U.S. ‘NOT REALLY’ OPEN
The U.S. Open might feel more like a closed shop this year.
The COVID-19 pandemic, which already has postponed the U.S. Open at Winged Foot from June to September, has forced the USGA to do away with qualifying for the first time since 1924.
Open qualifying is the hallmark of golf’s second-oldest championship. The USGA often points out that typically half of the 156-man field has to go through either 36-hole qualifying or 18-hole and 36-hole qualifying.
It even invested in a marketing campaign that was rolled out in February titled, “From Many, One,” to illustrate that more than 9,000 people apply to play in the U.S. Open, eventually yielding to one winner.
Among those who have yet to qualify is Phil Mickelson ,a runner-up six times in the only major he hasn’t won.
KENTUCKY CHEERLEADING COACHES FIRED
Kentucky has fired its cheerleading coaches after an internal investigation determined they failed to oversee off-campus events that included hazing, alcohol use and public nudity by the championship squad.
The school announced Monday that head coach Jomo Thompson and assistants Ben Head, Spencer Clan and
Kelsey LaCroix were fired from the program, which has won 24 national titles the past 35 years.
The review found that the activities occurred last summer during a retreat. It stated that some cheerleaders at the retreat performed gymnastics routines that included hurling teammates into the water, known as “basket tosses, while either topless or bottomless within view of some of the coaches.
Coaches also didn’t confiscate alcohol brought to the retreat by some team members, the report added, with some members requiring medical treatment for intoxication. Some cheerleaders at the camp were directed to perform lewd chants and wear outfits that did not include underwear. The report found no sexual assault or sexual misconduct during the trips.